I discovered Matthew Kirk's work two weeks ago at a group exhibition in an old cathedral in Greenpoint. I immediately got seduced by his minimalistic sensitive pieces, most of them wood compositions.
Eventually i got so into it i decided to buy a piece that very night.
Last saturday i went to visit Matthew in his home/studio. I had never met him before so didn't know what to expect. We nearly immediately started to talk about his work. The walls in the living room are covered with his pieces. It was like his own private exhibition but no pretention or self pride here, Matthew is a very laid back and humble character. He does what he loves, he loves what he does.
We start talking about his latest wooden works. His creative process, he explains, is very intuitive: "i just play with the pieces and see what it makes. Sometimes i draw ideas before putting it into form but that's rare". It happens that "what it makes" is shaped by Matthew's very strong aesthetics and reference to his roots as he explained later:
"I'm half Native American. I grew up surrouded by traditional rugs, quilts, sculptures... This has definitively influenced my vison. Since I was a kid i've seen all this art but because it is from a different background -a background that most people here would rather forget or avoid to acknowledge- it is deciphered as "traditional", "ethnic" or "crafts" but not as contemporary art, even though a lot of what i've seen is very edgy.
Understand me right here, I'm not trying to give a history lessons or have people to feel guilty. What is done is done. I'm just doing art with the sensitivity of where i come from. I suppose it is like any other artist. A lot of African Americans or Hispanic people talk about their roots as a strong influence. But unlike most of them Native Americans don't have a land anymore, thus i suppose my art is somehow some kind of blatant resistance just by the fact that it exists."
Aside his wooden compositions Matthew also paints, draws and does more volume-y structures. For him it is all linked in the same intellectual space:
"When I am stuck on a piece I just go work on something else, still thinking about what i was doing or forgetting totally about it, then come back with a fresh eye and new ideas on it. All these things are complementary. When you see the works you can feel they are from the same person whether it is a painting, a wood panel or a threading. They make sense individually as well as together. Each expression enriches the others, it's exponential."
Even with a huge production and amazing talent he still hasn't got a gallery representing him.
"I've never been to an art school. I'm not into these alumni and teachers networks. Even though i'd love to be represented by someone i'm not a PR type of guy. I just do what i do and i try to stay as humble and honnest as possible."
We end up our meeting with some earlier drawings from 2007. It is an interesting time travel into his mind and i can understand his evolution as an artist better. I leave his place with the very nice feeling i met not only a talented person but above all someone very human and true.
You can visit Matthew's studio on june 4, 5 and 6 as part of Bushwick's Open Studios. 196 Cooper Street, between Wilson and Central, Wilson L stop.
Eventually i got so into it i decided to buy a piece that very night.
Last saturday i went to visit Matthew in his home/studio. I had never met him before so didn't know what to expect. We nearly immediately started to talk about his work. The walls in the living room are covered with his pieces. It was like his own private exhibition but no pretention or self pride here, Matthew is a very laid back and humble character. He does what he loves, he loves what he does.
We start talking about his latest wooden works. His creative process, he explains, is very intuitive: "i just play with the pieces and see what it makes. Sometimes i draw ideas before putting it into form but that's rare". It happens that "what it makes" is shaped by Matthew's very strong aesthetics and reference to his roots as he explained later:
"I'm half Native American. I grew up surrouded by traditional rugs, quilts, sculptures... This has definitively influenced my vison. Since I was a kid i've seen all this art but because it is from a different background -a background that most people here would rather forget or avoid to acknowledge- it is deciphered as "traditional", "ethnic" or "crafts" but not as contemporary art, even though a lot of what i've seen is very edgy.
Understand me right here, I'm not trying to give a history lessons or have people to feel guilty. What is done is done. I'm just doing art with the sensitivity of where i come from. I suppose it is like any other artist. A lot of African Americans or Hispanic people talk about their roots as a strong influence. But unlike most of them Native Americans don't have a land anymore, thus i suppose my art is somehow some kind of blatant resistance just by the fact that it exists."
Aside his wooden compositions Matthew also paints, draws and does more volume-y structures. For him it is all linked in the same intellectual space:
"When I am stuck on a piece I just go work on something else, still thinking about what i was doing or forgetting totally about it, then come back with a fresh eye and new ideas on it. All these things are complementary. When you see the works you can feel they are from the same person whether it is a painting, a wood panel or a threading. They make sense individually as well as together. Each expression enriches the others, it's exponential."
Even with a huge production and amazing talent he still hasn't got a gallery representing him.
"I've never been to an art school. I'm not into these alumni and teachers networks. Even though i'd love to be represented by someone i'm not a PR type of guy. I just do what i do and i try to stay as humble and honnest as possible."
We end up our meeting with some earlier drawings from 2007. It is an interesting time travel into his mind and i can understand his evolution as an artist better. I leave his place with the very nice feeling i met not only a talented person but above all someone very human and true.
You can visit Matthew's studio on june 4, 5 and 6 as part of Bushwick's Open Studios. 196 Cooper Street, between Wilson and Central, Wilson L stop.
visit Matthew's website
